Chikungunya News and Research

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Immunologist to study how Chikungunya causes devastating effects in older adults

Emerging viruses such as Ebola, SARS and swine flu are familiar sounding, yet seemingly distant diseases to many Americans. But that's not the case with Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus that recently struck close to home and has proven deadly for the elderly.

25 Sep 2018

Health care companies' data could enable more accurate flu season forecasts

In an era when for-profit companies collect a wealth of data about us, new research from The University of Texas at Austin shows that data collected by health care companies could -- if made available to researchers and public health agencies -- enable more accurate forecasts of when the next flu season will peak, how long it will last and how many people will get sick.

20 Sep 2018

New assay using cellphone cameras developed for testing mosquitos, Wolbachia

Wolbachia bacteria are widely studied for possible properties to block transmission of viruses like chikungunya, dengue and zika.

31 Aug 2018

Female mosquitoes quickly evolve selective mating behavior when faced with threats

Certain female mosquitoes quickly evolve more selective mating behavior when faced with existential threats from other invasive mosquito species, with concurrent changes to certain genetic regions, according to new research from North Carolina State University.

17 Aug 2018

Genetically modified mosquitoes and special bed nets help tackle deadly diseases

Researchers at the Imperial College’s South Kensington campus have successfully created genetically modified mosquitoes that would stop them from multiplying and spreading dreaded diseases such as malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika that kill millions worldwide annually.

13 Aug 2018

Young children are more vulnerable to climate-related health risks, shows study

Young children are far more vulnerable to climate-related disasters and the onus is on adults to provide the protection and care that children need, according to research by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

7 Aug 2018

New study analyzes risk factors associated with mosquito-borne infectious diseases

In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers analyzed chikungunya and dengue outbreak data from 76 countries over a period of 50 years, focusing on regions across the Indian Ocean that are hard hit by these and other mosquito-borne infectious diseases.

25 Jul 2018

Researchers find that yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes can carry new virus

A virus responsible for an illness outbreak in Venezuela is spreading to other parts of the Americas, says a University of Florida scientist who is closely monitoring the Mayaro virus.

18 Jul 2018

Researchers to investigate role of hormones in mosquito's ability to use human blood for egg production

Entomologists at the University of California, Riverside have received a five-year grant of $2.44 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, to investigate the role hormones play in the female mosquito's ability to use human blood for egg production.

16 Jul 2018

New study provides important insights on mosquitoes that spread disease

The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is a highly invasive species and a vector of multiple pathogens including various viruses, such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika.

9 Jul 2018

EMA grants PRIME designation to Themis' chikungunya vaccine candidate

Themis announced today that the European Medicines Agency has granted PRIority MEdicines designation to its most advanced program in development, a vaccine to prevent chikungunya fever.

11 Jun 2018

Scientists identify new drug target to combat chikungunya virus

Scientists have identified a molecule found on human cells and some animal cells that could be a useful target for drugs against chikungunya virus infection and related diseases, according to new research published in the journal Nature.

21 May 2018

Study finds molecular handle that chikungunya virus uses to enter into cells and cause arthritis

Chikungunya virus is a growing threat to the United States and other regions of the world as the mosquito that carries the virus expands its reach. Telltale symptoms of chikungunya infection are fever and joint pain that last about a week.

17 May 2018

Ticks and mosquitoes a “growing health problem” says CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a new report warning people about the myriad of diseases that are transmitted via bites of blood-sucking insects such as ticks, mosquitoes and fleas calling it a “growing health problem” in the United States.

2 May 2018

Study provides global view of how yellow fever virus can spread between the world's cities

The deadly yellow fever virus has the potential to spread into cities around the world where it previously hasn't been seen, according to a new study led by St. Michael's Hospital.

27 Apr 2018

Climate change spurs proliferation of disease-bearing insects, increases exposure to viral infections

Scientists at the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission's science and knowledge service, find that global warming has allowed disease-bearing insects to proliferate, increasing exposure to viral infections.

16 Mar 2018

Mystery 'disease X' warnings from WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned about a mysterious disease X that is caused by a virus and can cause a worldwide pandemic in the near future. WHO has come up with a list of diseases that can cause an outbreak or epidemic among the general population, mainly because of the lack of resources for fighting them.

12 Mar 2018

Researchers developing rapid saliva test to detect Zika virus

Researchers at New York University College of Dentistry, in collaboration with Rheonix, Inc., are developing a novel test for Zika virus that uses saliva to identify diagnostic markers of the virus in a fraction of the time of current commercial tests.

24 Feb 2018

Modifications in HIV test enable rapid detection of Zika virus, study states

A new comprehensive study details a novel test for Zika virus, which utilizes saliva for rapid identification of the diagnostic markers of the virus.

23 Feb 2018

Viruses closely related to Zika may cause fetal brain damage and death, study finds

Two viruses closely related to Zika – West Nile and Powassan – can spread from an infected pregnant mouse to her fetuses, causing brain damage and fetal death, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

31 Jan 2018